Free Tidewater Inn by Colleen Coble Page A

no reason for the pounding in her chest. Who was this man Ray? And why had he deserted her?
    She laid the necklace on her lap, unfolded the letter, and glanced at the greeting. Elizabeth . No one called her Elizabeth. That made the letter even more special in a strange way. Had he called her by her full name when she was a baby? No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t dredge up a memory of the man who had fathered her. Her gut tightened again, and she pressed her lips together. He was dead and gone, unable to hurt her any longer. These were just words on a page. She moved so the porch light shone on the letter and she forced herself to read.
    My dear Elizabeth,
    So here you are in my home. Finally, you are where I’ve longed for you to be these past twenty-five years. My biggest regret in life is that I was not part of your formation, but God assures me he has kept you safe under his wings. I have prayed for you every day of your life, and even now as I face my final days, I desperately pray that you will walk with the Lord. I want to fold you in my arms when you step onto heaven’s golden streets.
    I know there is so much you don’t understand. I trust my sister, Pearl, will fill you in on many of the circumstances that forced me to abdicate my responsibilities. Just know that I have loved you so much even when I’ve been unable to contact you. I hope the inheritance can make up in some small way for my neglect. I know Brent and Vanessa have never really cared for the inn. Somehow, I believe you will love it as I have loved it. Do with it as you will though. It’s yours.
    Perhaps you are wondering what this old necklace means. My wife made it for me in 1992, and it never left my neck until I took it off to give to Horace for you. “What Would Jesus Do?” has been the guiding mantra of my life. As you try to acclimatize yourself to the island and to your siblings, I want you to think about those words in all the challenges you face. Every day, I’d like you to jot down when you succeeded in the right responses and when you didn’t.
    I realize I have no right to ask anything of you. Any rights I might have had were destroyed when I walked away. I make no excuses for my failures. But if you’ll wear this necklace and heed its reminder, it would be the greatest of all the possible legacies I might leave you. Much more valuable than the inn and the land.
    I pray my God keeps and protects you all the days of your life. That you will walk humbly before him and serve him always. Your siblings will take this very hard, so I ask you to be generous in grace toward them. Extend them as much mercy as you can. The transition into the family will be challenging, and I wish I could be here to help with that. But even though I am absent in the body, I’m rooting for you from heaven. I love you, my dear girl, and always have.
    Dad
    Libby’s face was wet, and she choked back the sobs building in her chest. He’d loved her. All these years when she thought he didn’t care, he’d loved her and prayed for her. And had God really assured him that he’d kept her safe? She didn’t understand any of it. Her father said to talk to her aunt, and tomorrow she would ask Alec to introduce them. Pearl. She liked the name and only hoped she could learn to love this unknown aunt—and even more importantly, that her aunt Pearl would love her.
    The jute was rough in her hands. The necklace took on special meaning. Her father had worn it for twenty years. The worn beads had been smoothed by his skin. It was so loved that his fingers had worn off all but one of the letters. But now she knew what they were. WWJD.
    She lifted it to her neck and fastened it. The beads felt warm, almost alive. She’d become a Christian two years ago, but there was so much about faith that she didn’t understand. And she didn’t know if she’d ever stopped to consider what a godly response